Latino Daily News

5 Young Soccer Players Killed in Bus Accident in Spain

Five youth soccer players between the ages of 12 and 15 were killed when the bus they were riding in collided with a farm vehicle in western Spain.

Thirteen others, most of them minors, were injured and taken to two nearby hospitals but none are listed in serious condition, the regional government of Extremadura said.

The accident occurred shortly before 9:30 p.m. Thursday when the bus - which was carrying 17 people, including 14 youth soccer players - collided with a backhoe.

The group was heading back to the town of Monterrubio de la Serena after a game.

“Dismayed over the tragic accident of Badajoz (province). My condolences for the family and friends of the victims,” Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Twitter, adding that he was being updated on the status of the injured.

King Juan Carlos and other members of Spain’s royal family also expressed their condolences to the family members of the victims.

The president of the autonomous community of Extremadura, Jose Antonio Monago, said he had declared three days of official mourning in the region.

All Spanish political parties on Thursday also put off the start of their campaigning for European Parliament elections and also announced that all campaign events scheduled through at least Monday would be postponed.

The driver of the backhoe, identified as a 37-year-old Spanish man, tested positive for cocaine and cannabis in an initial saliva-based test and has been arrested.

Spain’s DGT national traffic authority told Efe the backhoe made a sudden sharp turn to the left when the bus was passing it on a straightway on a road between the towns of Puerto Hurraco and Castuera.